1954 Ford Truck - Classic Cruisers

Keith Woodmansee always liked the design of 1953-1956-era Ford trucks. As a young man, Keith spent a good amount of time trying to talk his pop into how neat it’d be to do a father-and-son restoration. His dad agreed with the idea and told him to look for a reasonably priced truck. In 1986 Keith found a ’54 F-100 locally and his dad purchased it for the sum of $800. The truck was intact with nothing removed or cut up. Neither Keith nor his dad were certified mechanics or painters, and had never restored a vehicle before, but they both were excited to give it a go. The pair jumped into the project head first and did a complete frame restoration. Yes, they had to repeat numerous steps, as this was a learning experience, but the challenge added to their enjoyment and laughter! Keith initially wanted to install a V-8 to turn the truck into a bit of a hot rod. But dad insisted the truck remain original, and Keith couldn’t put up much of a fight since dad was funding much of the project. The pair did all the work themselves, with the exception of some of the bodywork, machining, engine rebuilding, and the rechroming.

The F-100 features a 223 six-cylinder with a manual three-speed column-shift. At the moment, the pickup retains its 6V electrical system (soon to be upgraded to a 12V). Keith’s dad relented a bit on the hot-rod idea and the pair outfitted the 223 with an Offenhauser triple intake manifold, with three Holley single-barrel carbs. A custom single header was added that mates up into a custom single exhaust, which then splits into two pipes with Cherry Bomb mufflers. Sadly, Keith recently inherited the truck due to his dad’s recent passing, having lost a battle with cancer. But at least Keith has the memories of a great time, bonding, and learning from his dad during the restoration process. As people say, you cannot trade experiences like those. Keith will pass this truck on to his sons and hope they savor the memories as Keith does. CT

If you have a Classic Cruiser and want to see it here, email at least six high-resolution photos and background info to the email address above, or mail prints to: Classic Trucks, Attn: Jim Rizzo, 1733 Alton Pkwy., Irvine, CA 92606.